By Norman Galimski, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The abrupt closure of nearly 60 per cent of B.C. salmon fisheries this summer has left commercial harvesters “financially devastated,” according to a survey by the United Fishermen & Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU-Unifor).
Continue reading B.C. commercial harvesters “financially devastated” by fisheries closuresNational Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
There’s a type of killer whale that prowls deeper waters and specializes in hunting big game, research by a B.C. scientist suggests.
West Coast residents are familiar with the well-known and iconic chinook salmon-eating endangered southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, and the more numerous Bigg’s killer whales, or transient orcas, that ply the shallower waters of B.C.’s coast and inlets in search of seals and other sea mammals.
But evidence indicates there’s a newly identified type of orca — outer coast killer whales — that are a distinct subgroup of transient whales, and which frequent the ocean depths along the continental shelf off the coast of central California and Oregon, said lead author Josh McInnes, a scientist with the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia.
Continue reading A type of Orca: the big game hunter of the seaqathet Living, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Lee George stands on the bank of the Tla’amin Creek, his baseball cap dampening in the light July rain. The ground he stands on is muddy. He scans the river, looking for coho fry.
Just a few inches of water flow
over the rocky creek.
A few tiny fish swim by.
Lee, who has managed this hatchery since about 1990, is worried about the level of the water, the heat. What will it do to this year’s salmon?
Continue reading Worry for our WatersNational Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The riveting heartbreak of an endangered orca that carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,500 kilometres in B.C. waters in July 2018 captured the world’s attention.
The extended mourning of the mother orca, J35, also known as Tahlequah, illustrated endangered southern resident killer whales are at a dangerous tipping point, and further catalyzed two young filmmakers to explore what is necessary to save the iconic orcas, which frequent the Salish Sea along the U.S. and Canadian coast.
Continue reading Documentary dives into endangered orcas’ race for survivalBy Melissa Renwick, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Gold River, BC – A new land-based steelhead fish farm is being proposed in Gold River at the site of a former pulp and paper mill that closed in the ‘90s.
Continue reading New land-based fish farm proposed in Gold River
